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Guide · Agent skill

How to use the Azure Container Registry CLI agent skill

Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

The azure-container-registry-cli skill teaches an AI agent how to work with Azure Container Registry (ACR), a cloud service that stores container images, using the az acr command group of the Azure CLI. It is written for developers, platform engineers and operators who deploy containers to Azure. After this guide you will know what the skill covers, how to install it, how to ask for ACR tasks in plain language, and which safety limits to set.

Azure Container Registry CLIgithub/awesome-copilot · MIT

Quick start

  1. 1Download the ZIP. Download the azure-container-registry-cli ZIP from this page.
  2. 2Unzip into a skills folder. Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into .claude/skills/ in a project. Alternatively, upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
  3. 3Install and sign in to Azure CLI. Install Azure CLI with the command for your system, then run az login and az account set --subscription with your subscription ID.
  4. 4Check your registry permissions. Confirm your account has the right role on the registry, such as AcrPull to pull or AcrPush to push images.
  5. 5Ask for the task in plain language. Name Azure Container Registry or ACR, give the registry name and say what you want done, such as building or importing an image.
  6. 6Review destructive steps. Before the agent runs purge, delete or admin-credential commands, check the target registry and the exact command.

What does the skill make the agent do?

Once installed, the agent knows how to work with ACR registries, images, cloud builds, ACR Tasks, authentication, tokens, geo-replication and networking. It can guide you through or run steps such as creating a registry, building images in Azure, importing images from other registries, listing and cleaning up tags, setting up sign-in for CI/CD or AKS, and checking network and geo-replication settings.

For detailed command syntax, the skill reads separate reference files for each domain: authentication and security, builds and tasks, images and artifacts, and networking and geo-replication.

  • Registry lifecycle: create, show, list, update and delete registries
  • Cloud builds with az acr build, so no local Docker is needed
  • Server-side image imports with az acr import
  • Repository and tag listing, plus untag, delete and purge
  • Sign-in for Docker, CI/CD pipelines and AKS, including repository-scoped tokens
  • Diagnostics with az acr check-health

Install the skill from a ZIP file

Download the ZIP for azure-container-registry-cli from this page. Then choose one of two locations. For a personal install, unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, unzip it into the project's .claude/skills/ folder.

If you use the Claude apps instead, upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

  • Personal: ~/.claude/skills/
  • Project only: .claude/skills/ inside your project
  • Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills (upload)

Install the Azure CLI and sign in

The skill needs the Azure CLI installed locally. The az acr commands ship with core Azure CLI, so no extension is required. The acrtransfer extension is only needed for export and import pipelines. You also need an Azure account and subscription, and permissions on the target registry such as the AcrPull or AcrPush roles.

The source gives these install commands for each system, followed by sign-in and subscription selection.

brew install azure-cli # macOS curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash # Linux winget install Microsoft.AzureCLI # Windows az login az account set --subscription {subscription-id}

How to trigger the skill with natural requests

You do not need to name the skill. Mention Azure Container Registry, ACR, az acr commands, or tasks such as pushing, importing or purging container images in Azure. Include the registry name and resource group so the agent can fill in the placeholders.

Example requests that should match the skill's description:

  • Create a Standard-tier registry called myregistry in resource group rg-apps.
  • Build the Dockerfile in this folder in Azure and push it to myregistry as app:v2.
  • Import mcr.microsoft.com/hello-world:latest into my Azure Container Registry.
  • List the tags for the app repository, newest first, and suggest old ones to clean up.
  • Why can my AKS cluster not pull from our ACR? Check the permissions.
  • Run az acr check-health on myregistry and explain any problems.

Quick-start commands the skill draws on

These examples come from the skill's quick start. Replace the placeholders in braces with your own values.

  • Prefer az acr build over local docker build and docker push, because builds run in Azure.
  • Prefer az acr import to copy images between registries, because the copy is server-side.
  • Use Microsoft Entra roles or repository-scoped tokens rather than the admin user for production.
az acr create --resource-group {rg} --name {registry} --sku Standard az acr login --name {registry} az acr build --registry {registry} --image app:v1 . az acr import --name {registry} --source mcr.microsoft.com/hello-world:latest az acr repository list --name {registry} --output table az acr repository show-tags --name {registry} --repository app --orderby time_desc az acr check-health --name {registry} --yes

Safety, scripts and network access

The skill runs no scripts of its own, but it uses the network, and the commands it helps with change real cloud resources. Some are destructive or sensitive, including purge, delete and admin-credential changes. Review those before the agent runs them, especially in shared or production environments.

Some features are Premium-only: geo-replication, private endpoints, retention policies, connected registries and agent pools. Repository-scoped tokens work in all tiers.

  • Purge, delete and admin-credential commands are destructive or sensitive: review before running.
  • Never enable the admin user for production; use Entra identities, scoped tokens or managed identities.
  • Geo-replication, private endpoints, retention policies, connected registries and agent pools need the Premium tier.
  • az acr login tokens are valid for 3 hours, so re-run the login when they expire.

What people use it for

  • Build a container image in Azure and push it to a registry without a local Docker daemon.
  • Copy a base image from a public registry into your own ACR with az acr import.
  • Set up a CI/CD pipeline that pulls and pushes images using a scoped identity.
  • Diagnose a failed AKS image pull by checking registry permissions and network rules.
  • List tags and plan a cleanup of old images to reduce storage use.

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the azure container registry cli skill?

Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps, you can instead upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

Is the azure container registry cli skill free?

The skill is published under the MIT licence, as listed on this page. Azure itself is a paid cloud service, and every command needs an Azure account and subscription.

What do I need to use the skill?

You need the Azure CLI (az) installed locally, an Azure account and subscription, az login, and permissions on the target registry such as AcrPull or AcrPush. The acrtransfer extension is only needed for export and import pipelines.

Does the skill run scripts or use the network?

According to this listing, the skill runs no scripts but does use the network. The commands it helps with change real Azure resources, so review destructive ones such as purge and delete.

What are the alternatives to this skill?

You can use the Azure CLI's az acr commands directly, or follow Microsoft's ACR documentation yourself. The skill's value is that the agent reads the right reference file for each task and suggests the commands.

Why does my az acr login or AKS pull fail?

Check that you are signed in with az login, that your identity has AcrPull or AcrPush on the registry, and that the network settings allow access. The skill's auth-and-security and networking references cover these cases, and az acr check-health helps diagnose problems.

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Our verdict

This skill suits developers and platform engineers who deploy containers to Azure, and teams wiring ACR into CI/CD or AKS. It is not useful without an Azure subscription and the Azure CLI. Teams that do not want an agent changing cloud resources or deleting images should keep the destructive commands behind manual review or choose a read-only workflow.

Download the skill